Mailport: Winch handle holster, sea dogs, and core repair
MAST-CLIMBING ABOVE THE HOUNDS
Regarding your recent blog post on mast climbing (see “Going Aloft Sans Butterflies,” Inside Practical Sailor), my fractional rigged boat has...
PS Advisor: A DIY Bucket with Perfect Fit
Perhaps one reason our buckets keep cracking is that we have to compress them a bit to fit them through the 10-inch rectangular hatch...
Mailport: Boat heaters, digital charts, photophobia, downsizing
HEATING EFFICIENCY
I just saw, with interest, your article about onboard fireplace safety, with the emphasis on safety (see “LPG Fireplace Safety Guidelines,” Inside Practical Sailor)....
PS Advisor: Backing Plate and Self-tapping Screw Tips
Athreaded backing plate is a common approach to eliminating nuts in through bolts. We’ve used threaded backing plates for mounting jammers to thin-walled spars...
Mailport: winch handle holders; pets on board
THE WINCH HOLSTER
With regards to your recent report on winch handle holders (see “Winch Handle Holders,” PS July/August 2023), another approach to winch handle...
PS Advisor: Combatting Mildew on a Moored Boat
In your recent report “Understanding Dew Point to Prevent Mildew,” (see Inside Practical Sailor blog) there is the comment, “curiously, the best way to...
Mailport: Tillers, bilge pumps, and lazy jacks
REDUCING CHAIN TWIST
With regards to responses to your Inside PS blog post on chain twist “How Well Do Swivels Reduce Chain Twist?” as with...
PS Advisor: Using Acids to Clean Propellers
We recently received a letter from a reader asking us which acids might be used to clean a bronze propeller. Although we’ve found it...
Mailport: Tillers, bilge pumps, and lazy jacks
TILLERS VS. WHEEL
I sailed a Yankee 30 for 10 years — tiller steering — and recently moved up to a “big sister” of the...
PS Advisor: Complacency and the Experienced Sailor
The past few years have made it clear that age and experience doesn’t necessarily translate into safety on the water. In fact, a number...
Tartan Yachts and the Catalina Fallout: How One Brand Survived
Tartan Yachts is one of the most respected names in American sailboat building — but in recent years, the brand found itself caught in...
Latest Sailboat Review
Tartan 33 Used Boat Review
In 1978, Tartan brought out the Tartan Ten, a 33', fairly light, fractionally-rigged "offshore one design." The boat was a huge success: fast, easy to sail, and unencumbered by the design limitations of a rating rule. But the Tartan Ten had one big problem: limited accommodations with stooping headroom, an interior most kindly described as spartan. A hardy crew could take the Tartan Ten on a multi-day race such as the Mackinac, and you might even coax your family aboard for a weekend of camping out. But cruising or extended racing in comfort? Forget it!